I need some Beige Gelcoat to repair a few spots on an '89 Prostar. The minimum order size is 1 Gallon for $131.00 ( because they have to mix it from scratch) This color was used from 1986 through 1990. Are there any members out there who need this color for repairs? Perhaps we could split up the order. (4 quarts would work nicely) Or, does anyone have left-over gelcoat in this color that they would be willing to part with?

Hunterb

01-12-2006, 03:07 PM

Be really carefull with Spectrum. I ordered what was supposed to be the 'white' gel-coat colour for a 1990 PS 190 last year and the colour they sent was not even close. It cost me a small fortune to get it to Canada and it was useless.

I like your idea of sharing, but make absolutely certain you are getting the correct colour.

My 2 cents

Bruce

tph

01-12-2006, 10:10 PM

Thanks for the "heads-up". I wonder if there are any places that would do computer color matching like they do with paint?

MarkP

01-12-2006, 10:54 PM

Iíve had an eye out for someone with an Atlantic blue boat for the same reason. Make sure your ready to work on your boat when/if you do order the gel. With a shelf life of just 6 mo, you should probably be on it as soon as the ups man drives away..

BrianM

01-13-2006, 09:12 AM

Thanks for the "heads-up". I wonder if there are any places that would do computer color matching like they do with paint?

How much work do you have to do?

I would check around your area and get a referal for a good gel coat guy in your area. In my case when I started checking around one name kept coming up again and again. Let them custom mix the gel from your boat. Gel coat work is an art. These guys mix by hand to color match and the good ones can get a perfect match.

Also many times scratchs and things can be sanded out and don't need gel work. I had a really bad scratch on my '88 and to my amazement the guy sanded it out. Looked perfect.

If you only have a small amout of work it probably won't cost you much more than that gallon of Spectrum.

tph

01-13-2006, 12:00 PM

I've already sanded out most of the small stuff. But there is a chunk taken out of the chine, and the spot where the hull rests on the trailer V block is worn through the color. Thanks for the idea. I thought gelcoat repair was very expensive. There are several boat shops in the area. I'll check around.

Hunterb

01-13-2006, 01:35 PM

I agree with the above posters. One of the problems with an older boat is that the gel-coat fades, oxidizes and generally changes colour over time. Even if Spectrum came up with the exact factory matched colour I doubt that your boat is that colour any more. I ended up playing mad scientist and bought some basic white gel-coat and some pigments and then started mixing. I have the teal on white colour scheme and I needed both colours. To my surprise the white was much harder to match than the teal. In the end I got what I think is a good match on the teal and an O.K. match on the white. There is no way of using a scanner and computer matching like they do for automotive paints. Someone that matches colours all the time can probably get very very close. The local guys here (Nanaimo) charge a flat rate of one hour to match colours.

Good luck with the project !!

Bruce

88 PS190

01-13-2006, 03:09 PM

If you are gonna get gel coat done to your boat i'd polish the whole boat first so that its nice and shiny, then get it matched. Because if they match to faded color, it won't polish back to where the rest of the hull can.

tph

01-13-2006, 05:37 PM

Good point. There's definitely a difference in color under the decals. After wet sanding, the original color comes back very well. But, I've got to take care not to remove too much gelcoat. The 3M cutting and polishing products are working great. It's still a lot of work to undo years of neglect. I'll post some pics as I get further along.

88 PS190

01-13-2006, 06:41 PM

Those electric polishers work real well, just have to remember to keep it moving so you don't burn through anything.

Matt L.

01-15-2006, 06:26 PM

Did Spectrum change policy? I was able to get a pretty good match to the red and white on my 90 240SC at the quart level.

I agree, if you could find someone to custom match the baot, that would be the best way. My red is slightly darker and bluer than the factory color... fading I guess.

tph

01-15-2006, 08:51 PM

Did Spectrum change policy? I was able to get a pretty good match to the red and white on my 90 240SC at the quart level.

I agree, if you could find someone to custom match the baot, that would be the best way. My red is slightly darker and bluer than the factory color... fading I guess.

I think you can get the more popular and recent colors by the quart. I was told they would have to mix the beige and that the minimum order would be 1 gallon